Burner apparatus



Nov. 21, 1933. w. s. BOWEN BURNER APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April2, 1930 0 w w I a .A H m w my 0 m m M m Wm ON 3 m%@W mh NOV. 21, 1933- ws BOWEN 1,936,346

BURNER APPARATUS I Filed April 2, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR m//mmjymmr Bowel;

ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT orFrc BURNERAPPARATUS William Spencer Bowen, Westfield, N. J.

Application April 2, 1930. Serial No. 440,923

7 Claims. (Cl. 158-56) The invention relates to burner apparatus such asmay be utilized for furnishing a considerable supply of a heated gaseousmedium; and relates more especially to apparatus of this natureemploying a suitable liquid fuel such as oil.

The invention contemplates also a novel method of combustion in theutilization of said burner; and it has for an object to so control theflow of fuel, in vaporized state, and of air for maintaining combustionthereof that the latter will be directed substantially at right anglesto the flow of the former and at a greater velocity,and thecombinedflows then reversed and the velocity thereof reduced such thatthe par-- ticles of fuel and air are intimately mixed and retarded to anextent such that the speed of mixture balances the rate of flamepropagation. A further object of the invention resides in the method ofcontrol of the combustion of preheated fuel and air by the admixturewith the former of steam and prior to its mixture with the air toobviate cracking in the case of oil.

It has for a further object a construction of burner apparatus by whicha highly eflicient combustion (blue flame) will be attained, and whichconstruction, moreover, lends itself to ready manufacture, is simple andinexpensive, and whereby cracking of oil fuels utilized therein may beobviated.

In carrying out the invention, a hollow cylindrical member is providedto afford a helical passageway for the incoming air which is therebypreheated in the operation of the burner apparatus; and the air isdirected upwardly through a partition located at the lower portion ofthe cylinder. Surrounding a cylindrical outlet duct therefrom forthisair is a further cylinder secured to the said diaphragm member butdisplaced sli htly to afford a reservoir for liquid fuel, said furthercylinder providing, also, and about the cylindrical outlet duct anannular port for the fuel which is discharged therefrom substantially inthe plane of the air outlet.

There may be inserted, also, in the said reservoir and its annular portan intermediate flanged cylindrical member to subdivide the same andafford a water reservoir and intervening water wall, exceptat the outerend of the said outlet port.

Owing to the relatively high temperature prevailing when the burner isin operation, this water reservoir will not only provide for thegeneration of steam which may be utilized in the control of thecombustion but will afford a protective water wall for oil as a fuel.The oil will,

therefore, not be subjected to the intense temperatures likely to occurnor be subject to cracking, which action will also be controllable bythe quantity of steam admitted to the mixture.

The oil (with steam) and air for supporting combustion and issuing fromthe respective oil and air ports impinge upon a cap member fitted oversaid outlets and which cap member serves to divert the air in adirection toward and substantially at right angles to the stream ofissuing oil vapor and further deflects the mixture of the two in adirection at right angles to the direction' of combined flow. Themixture is then discharged, preferably through vanes to effect a swirlthereof, through an annular outlet formed between the lower edge of thecap member and the said further cylinder providing the fuel outlet duct.is received by a suitable bowl-shaped member of refractory material tobe reflected therefrom outwardly through the surrounding hollowcylindrical member.

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood whendescribed in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the novel burner apparatus; and Fig. 2 is apart elevation and vertical section thereof taken on the line 2-2, Fig.l of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the burner apparatus comprises a hollowcylindrical member formed, for example, of two coaxial metal shells 10and 11, the latter and inner shell being preferably composed of or linedwith material such as stainless steel; and theannular space between thesaid shells 10 and 11 is divided to provide a helical flue 12therethrough. Said flue at the upper or outer end of the cylinderconnects with a supply duct 13 for air, and at its lower or inner enddischarges into a cylindrical outlet duct 14 or rather into a pocket 15communicating therewith and formed by a depression in a plate orpartition 16 sealing off the lower portion of the burner cylinder fromthe upper portion.

Said plate, moreover, is provided with a further or secondary depressionor pocket 17 located immediately above the pocket 15 and this is sealedover by the flange 18 of a further hollow cylindrical and flanged member19 mounted over the cylindrical outlet duct 14 and forming therewith anannular outlet fuel port which terminates substantially in the plane ofthe orifice of said cylindrical air outlet duct. An oil connection 20 ismade to this latter pocket 1'? so that oil will bedischarged from theannular outlet port simul- The cylindrical discharge of mixturetaneously with the discharge of air from the cylindrical outlet duct 14.

Surrounding the lower portion of the hollow cylindrical member 19 andcovering the exposed portion of the partition 16 from said cylindricalmember to the wall 11 is a lining 21 of refractory material such asconcrete or flre clay and is shaped to bowl form for the purposehereinafter set forth. s

The vaporization fuel and the air issuing from the respective outletsimpinge upon a distributing cap 25 resting upon the edges of thecylindrical outlet duct 14 and the surrounding fuel cylinder 19,intermediate ribs 26 beingprovided thereon to displace the cap therefromthe desired extent. This displacement is so designed, in reducing thecross-sectional area, as to increase to the desired. extent the velocityof flow of the issuing air which, it will be observed, is thereby alsodirected substantially at right angles to the issuing cylinder of oilvapor. An intimate mixture therewith is thus effected, which mixture isfurther enhanced by reversing the combined flows in thespace formedbetween the cylinder wall of the distributor cap and the correspondingouter portion of the oil outlet cylinder 19. It is preferred, also, toimpart to the mixture a spiral or whirling motion as by providing inthis space suitable vanes 27 which may be attached to cylinder 19. Thesaid space, moreover,- is of increased cross-sectional area over that ofthe outlets so that the combined flows will be substantially retarded,and the design may be such that the velocity of travel of the particlesthereof are slowed down, to a degree at which the velocity of themixture balances substantially the velocity of flame propagation whichis approximately thirteen feet per second. The mixture thus issuingfromsaid space, or the vanes 2'7, impinges upon the surface of thelining 21 where it burns with a blue flame which is reflected therebyupwardly and outwardly through he cylinder formed by said shells 10 and11, preheating thereby also the incoming air supply entering through theflue 13.

The oil also is heated to an extent sufficient to vaporize it; and inorder to prevent its being subjected to too intense a temperature,provision is made for an intervening water wall. For example, anintermediate cylinder 30 with lower flange 31 may be provided betweenthe cylindrical outlet duct 14 and oil cylinder 19, said flange andcylindrical portion serving to form a reservoir 32 with thecorresponding elements of the said cylinder. 19; and a water connection33 is made thereto.

The outer edge of said intermediate cylinder 30, moreover, terminates,preferably, somewhat below the edges of the associated cylinders so thatsteam generated from the water in the reservoir 32 will intermingle withthe vaporized oil as the same issues from its outlet to meet the streamof air. The degree of water vapor or steam thus supplied mayconveniently be regulated by adjusting a valve 34 in the water line orby means of other well-known or special level-controlling means wherebythe level of the water in the reservoir 32 will always be maintainedbelow the top edge of the cylinder 30; and the water wall thus providedand the resulting steam will effectively prevent cracking of the oil inits reservoir and as a vapor. Even though the oil may come in contactwith the walls of reservoir 32, this occurs only substantially at theburning zone or extreme outer ends of the oil and water reservoirs.Moreover, the ebulition of the steam through the overlying oil or oilvapor will eifect a very intimate mixture of the oil with the stream ofair in that the bursting of the bubbles of the steam and oil casts aspray of finely-divided oil droplets which actually penetrate the airstream due to their own momentum. As a result of this more perfectmixture, combustion will be rapid and more efficient.

I claim:

1. Burner apparatus, comprising a hollow cylindrical member having ahelical flue therethrough having an air inlet, a partition closing offthe lower end of the hollow cylindrical member and affording an axiallydisposed hollow outlet member communicating with the helical flue, acylinder surrounding said air outlet member and forming with a portionof the partition and the said outlet member a reservoir and annular portfor a combustible liquid, means to supply a combustible liquid to saidreservoir, a distributor cap mounted over said outlet and port, and arefractory lining carried by the partition member and to which saiddistributor cap directs a mixture'of vaporized fuel and air.

2. Burner apparatus, comprising a hollow member, a partition closing offan end of the same and affording an axially disposed hollow outletmember, means to supply air to said outlet member, a hollow membersurrounding said air outlet memher and forming with a portion of thepartition and the said outlet member a reservoir and annular port for acombustible liquid, means to supply a combustible liquid to saidreservoir, an intermediate. hollow member forming with the fuelport-forming member a reservoir for water, a water connection thereto, adistributor cap mounted over said outlet and port, and a refractorylining carried by the partition member and to which said distributor capdirects a mixture of vaporized fuel and air.

3. Burner apparatus, comprising a hollow member, a partition closing offan end of the same and aifording an axially disposed hollow outletmember, means to supply air to said outlet member, a hollow membersurrounding said air outlet member and forming with a portion of thepartition and the said outlet member a reservoir and annular port for acombustible liquid-means to supply a combustible liquid to saidreservoir, an intermediate hollow member forming with the fuelport-forming member a reservoir for water, a water connection thereto,means to control the flow of water to said reservoir, a distributor capmountedover said outlet and port, and a refractory lining carried by thepartition member and to which said distributor cap directs a mixture ofvaporized fuel and air.

4. Burner apparatus, comprising a hollow cylindrical member, a partitionclosing off an end of the same and having a central depression to affordan air receivingpocket, a hollow cylinder coaxial therewith having aflange sealing said pocket and affording a hollow outlet memberextending'into the said hollow cylindrical member, means to supply airto said outlet member, a hollow member surrounding said air outletmember and forming with a portion of the partition and the said outletmember a reservoir and annular port for a combustible liquid, means tosupply a combustible liquid to said reservoir, a distributor cap mountedover said outlet and port, and a refractory lining carried by thepartition member and to which said distributor cap directs a mixture ofvaporized fuel and air.

5. Burner apparatus, comprising a hollow cylindrical member, a partitionclosing off an end of the same and having a central depression to affordan air receiving pocket, and a secondary surrounding depression oflesser depth, a hollow cylinder coaxial with the central depression,having a flange sealing said pocket and afiording a hollow outlet memberextending into the said hollow cylindrical member, means to supply airto said air-receiving pocket, a second hollow cylinder surrounding thefirst-named cylinder and having a flange sealing said secondarydepression and affording therewith a reservoir and annular port for acombustible liquid, means to supply a combustible liquid to saidreservoir, a distributor cap mounted over said outlet and port, and arefractory lining carried by the partition member and to which saiddistributor cap directs a mixture of vaporized fuel and air.

6. Burner apparatus, comprising a hollow cylindrical member, a partitionclosing ofi an end of the same and having a central depression to affordan air receiving pocket, and a secondary surrounding depression oflesser depth, a hollow cylinder coaxial with the central depression,having a flange sealing said pocket and afiording a hollow outletmember, means to supply air to said airreceiving pocket, 21 secondhollow cylinder surrounding the first-named cylinder and having a flangesealing said secondary depression and afiording therewith a reservoirand annular port for a combustible liquid, means to supply a combustibleliquid to said reservoir, a hollow cylinder intermediate the two saidcylinders and having a flange secured to the partition but displacedfrom the flange of said second hollow cylinder to provide a waterreservoir and water wall, means to supply water to the water reservoir,a distributor cap mounted over said outlet and port, and a refractorylining carried by the partitionmember and to which said distributor capdirects a mixture of vaporized fuel and air.

7. Burner apparatus, comprising a hollow cylindrical member, a partitionclosing off an end of the same and having a central depression to affordan air receiving pocket, and a secondary surrounding depression oflesser depth, a hollow cylinder coaxial with the central depression,having a flange sealing said pocket and affording a hollow outletmember, means to supply air to said air-receiving pocket, a secondhollow cylinder surrounding the first-named cylinder and having a flangesealing said secondary depression and afiording therewith a reservoirand annular port for a combustible liquid, means to supply a combustibleliquid to said reservoir, a hollow cylinder intermediate the two saidcylinders and having a flange secured to the partition but displacedfrom the flange of said second hollow cylinder to provide a waterreservoir and water wall and the outer edge of said intermediatecylinder terminating below the edges of the aforesaid two cylinders,means to supply water to the water reservoir, a distributor cap mountedover said outlet and. port, and a refractory lining carried by thepartition member and to which said distributor cap directs a mixture ofvaporized fuel and air.

WILLIAM SPENCER BOWEN.

